The Hero Cycle

The Hero Cycle is used in literature.  It is the cycle a hero follows.  It begins with the hero going on a quest of some sort, overcoming hardships, learning to know others and himself, and returning to his point of origin to share his knowledge.  Not all "heroic" characters are heroes.  The Hero Cycle can only be applied in certain cases.  Candide from Volitare's work is one.  Candide is kicked out of his home.  He travels the world, naive of it.  He is tricked and hurt and abused.  Eventually, he begins to learn that what he had been taught, that all was good, is not true.  Candide comes to know himself.  That is an example of part of the Hero Cycle.

The Anti-Hero Cycle

The Anti-Hero Cycle follows the same basic structure as the Hero Cycle.  However, the anti-hero is driven by greed, ambition, or seeking power for most of the story.  His motives are unpure.  But, by the end, the anti-hero recongizes that he is wrong, and seeks to return to a more pure state.  He may not always try to make up for his wrongs, and he may not always acknowledge he was wrong.  He is either defeated, or he changes.

Foils

A character who foils another character is one that has some similarities to the character they foil, but is not identical.  The foiling character will have significant differences in the way he reacts to situations.  These differences in foiling characters work to enhance and offer insight into the characters.